


wonders of the colours around us

by curlsinthewind



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Corey is a doubtful smol bean, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Post-Canon, Soulmates, kind of but yes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:53:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28981437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curlsinthewind/pseuds/curlsinthewind
Summary: Aura is a colourful emanation showing people's true selves, also, it is invisible for most people. Not for Corey Bryant.orCorey is afraid to look at Mason's aura and tries to deal with it.
Relationships: Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	wonders of the colours around us

**Author's Note:**

> hello :) I wanted to participate in the Morey appreciation week at least somehow and planned on making a short one-shot but...yeah that didn't work out so here is this monster :D I don't know how I feel about this one, it's probably messy a lot and too long for everyone's good, simply put...I can't write and this is just my brain vomit (a lot of it) but...I had fun? :d  
> thanks to those three people that are going to read this almost 9k word gigantic thing and I hope it's at least a little bit readable :D
> 
> Morey Appreciation Week Day 5 - Exploration of Powers/Superpowers

Colours have always been a huge part of Corey’s life, guiding him in the good even the bad phases, showing him the way, popping up every morning just for the reminder that life wasn’t just something to be overridden. Every single colour had a meaning, every one something different for a different person and for Corey? Corey had his fair share of colours in his life, carrying heavyweights of his experiences and memories.

At first, when he was just a little kid, something around four or five when he finally didn’t confuse pink and purple, his bedroom has been painted in light blue, almost the shade of baby blue but not quite, a little grey on the corners caused by insufficient work of the painter. His sheets dark blue, almost reminding him of the midnight sky when a magnificent full moon shone brightly above the city, making everything so small and yet so beautiful. His favourite toy, Mr Frog was also blue, helping him fall asleep every single night, talking to him when no one else would. Childhood and safety, like a big blue blanket hugging him around the shoulders and protecting him from the cruel world.

Then it was red and blue, police cars invading his peaceful sleep in the early morning, vibrant colours shining through his curtains with dinosaurs. For the first time in his whole _childhood_ , he has never felt so scared and confused; he has never felt so... _lost_. Red and blue bursting into the peacefulness he recognized and tearing it apart with no hesitation, ending the welfare of the light blue bedroom with loud hysterical sirens. Men in uniforms waking him up to tell him that his parents ended up in a horrible accident and won’t be coming back home. Red and blue blinding his mind as his small feet stepped into the police car, red and blue shades covering his small shaking body, heading towards his grandparents’ house. Red and blue light, turning around like crazy, spinning the world like a carousel. Red and blue that overcharged the kind light blue.

Black clothes and black caskets became his colour for a long time after that, his mind empty, reflecting the outside to the inside. Thoughts about being bad, about everyone around him being evil, questions to why did he have to go through this, anger at his parents that left him all alone. Life seemed colourless at that time, only black and black and black, tarnishing anything joyful, erasing red and blues out of his existence together with fear and disaster, disappearing into nothingness, into numbness and pain. Into the dark, pitch-black shouts and cries.

Yellow followed, bright happy yellow. The yellow moving company’s logo with bold orange letters, his grandma’s yellow apple pies, lemons on the kitchen counter, noon sun warming his skin, yellow tulips on his parents’ graves, yellow of better tomorrows, of faithful beginnings when all it took for Corey to start believing, was to wake up and just _feel_. His head suddenly full of healing and acceptance, love of his grandparents and maybe, not all the colour has disappeared. Maybe there was still some for Corey to explore, enjoy the callings of their individual meanings. Yellow meant hope, suppressing the unpleasant dead hues and creating long yellow paths leading to confidence and relief.

Beacon Hills high school was red and at first, it frightened him, going back to the colour that started all Corey’s hurting, a colour that never brought anything good. But this time, the red school was full of friendly smiles and unexpected opportunities. Red of his lacrosse hoodie, red apron in his work in the bakery, red of his school books, red of Mason’s favourite t-shirt which felt so exciting and new, making Corey feel like he has never had. And suddenly, red didn’t mean bad news, instead, it started feeling normal, safe and comfortable, a colour that _could_ be dangerous but at the same time calming and so utterly good. Red meant human, red meant a new hobby that he enjoyed, red meant Mason shyly talking to him and trying to flirt with him and Corey felt like that for some time, like a human, like a normal teenager dating beautiful boys, until silver came, light freezing silver.

When the Dread Doctors turned him into a chimera, there was too much silver, in his body, in front of him, sliding down his mouth, ears, eyes, suffocating him in a deep hole, sinking him down and down and down until all he could see was silver and silver only. Silver wasn’t Corey’s favourite colour, he has always imagined that he would be dying while yellow flowers stood next to him in a white vase next to his hospital bed but ending his life while silver cut through his vessels was worse than any other possible death.

Corey was sure he would never see another colour ever again, making him almost regret that he hadn't tried enough, that he should have paid more attention to the other shades. His colouring palette was almost empty and undiscovered, leaving him feeling miserable because it wasn’t his time to go back to that awful black, however green of a liquid that brought him back to life, _fighting off_ the black, changed the misery into life and it changed something else as well.

It all started after the Ghost Riders were defeated, not immediately but yes, after them. Mason, Liam and Hayden freeing him from the _silver_ wires stuck in his weak body and just after he had healed, _something_ felt strange, a thing that made all his wishes come true…in a way. Corey didn’t like making himself invisible until it was undoubtedly necessary or he had to protect Mason, there was _nothing_ in between, although when he finally healed and could use his power, every single time he visited the invisible world, it felt different than it did before the Ghost Riders.

He didn’t mind that the only thing he could see was green and it remained like that the whole time Corey has made himself invisible. But suddenly, green wasn’t everything around him and the people started having their own colours too. Corey felt very confused at why he saw so many of them, every shade, every shape, crawling around everybody’s figure, and telling anyone about his newly discovered abilities didn’t seem like a good idea, since the only person that could possibly help him, was Theo who was who knows where and also, Corey didn’t want to talk to him or be near him ever again.

Mason was another option, his boyfriend who he loved more than anything and would give up his life for but despite all the unknown and the desire of Mason’s help, the human was stressed enough as it was, with all the supernatural fighting, being worried about Corey and his best friends…Corey was almost sure he had to feel helpless and useless. Mason didn’t have to tell him right away, the look on his face spoke loudly enough for Corey to figure him out.

It was tempting, every single sweet kiss Mason would give him would bring Corey on the edge of spilling his guts out, tell him his every secret, including the one with colours because Mason was Mason and Mason had this awfully amazing ability to make people feel safe around him.

So it was hard, lying to Mason without knowing _how_ to stop lying. Practising his powers more, tiring himself out till the point his bones ached and his muscles being sorer than ever. With his two jobs, lacrosse and school it was exhausting to say at least and slowly but surely he was drying his soul out of his body.

Corey’s circle around his posture was yellowish, thin but bright, almost like sun rays spiking from his arms and legs and chest, looking a little bit like the sun, blinding but warm. The mirror’s size didn’t quite compliment the actual amount of Corey’s yellow circle but it was enough for him to continue with his research about what exactly it had meant and _why_ he was the only one seeing it.

When Monroe came to town, Corey knew something was wrong as soon as she stepped a foot in the school. Because her colour was black; the death type of black, the one Corey hated so much. It may have been the first clue not to trust her; nonetheless, he didn’t trust himself or his abilities enough in the first place to do something about it. Also, he still didn’t know what the colours meant and so basing someone of on a presumption seemed stupid at that time.

Only when she turned out to be this crazy maniac hunter and killed innocent teenagers with a blink of an eye, Corey comprehended why he should have listened to his instincts. That was for the first time he had realized exactly how important his power is and that it indicates other people’s auras and the brighter their colour is, the stronger their personality extends, which was why Monroe almost blinded him the first he saw her.

Scott’s aura looked like a red flashlight, pushing everyone else’s colours out of the way and Corey always had to restrain himself from the Alpha’s sight or otherwise he would just go blind. He did some web surfing about it and found out that red auras meant power and leadership, courage and passion. It was no surprise Scott bore this shade on his shoulders. It was also no surprise that when he looked at Liam for the very first time since his newly discovered skills, there was almost no difference from the Alpha.

The whole fact that auras were actually real and Corey could see them seemed unreal to him, something he would never think of seeing. It also carried a great responsibility; he couldn’t have imagined if someone like Gerard or Monroe put their hands on this special talent and used it for their benefit. It was too easy to pick out which individuals were easily manipulated and which were not. That was also why Corey’s aura just flickered around his body while in the meantime, Scott’s one lit up like a beacon. Nolan was just like Corey, yellow and faint. Talking to Nolan after discovering his true self became much easier with that knowledge, that they were more similar to each other than they had thought. Of course that no one wanted to believe him when Corey started trusting the human but when their friendship developed, everyone saw what Corey had witnessed just a few weeks ago before them and accepted the former hunter into their pack as well.

And even if all the aura seeing brought many good things, helped Corey and the others with fighting the hunters (even if he was the only one who knew about it), Corey still didn’t want to look at Mason. Sometimes seeing so many colours confused him, made him scared because finding out the true deep person inside a body was scary and looking at Mason felt forbidden, something he should never do.

Yes, sometimes it was surprising; Theo’s aura for example wasn’t black, grey or brown, which often indicated a selfish opinionated person, as he had thought. No, his colour was green and bright, peace drifting off him like a waterfall, the light green protecting his body like a shield. Green meant healing, green meant compassion and growth (in Corey’s experience, green meant life and new beginnings). It meant something good and calm, and becoming best friends with Theo wasn’t particularly his option but their colours _fit_ together, drawing a beautiful picture on a magnificent canvas. Even after all they went through, their auras were in sync and Corey knew why talking to the chimera was suddenly a good decision and that maybe, coming to him for advice wasn’t such a bad idea anymore.

Opening up to someone who you _knew_ was good inside but tried to hide it on the outside wasn’t an easy task but nothing seemed to be easy in this hell town so he did it.

* * *

“Theo? Do you have a moment?” he asked in a whispered hush, attracting the other chimera’s attention. He couldn’t see the colours while being in his normal human self but he often wished to be able to see them otherwise, just to remind himself that it was all just a mask and that people were completely different than how they tried to look like.

Theo raised his eyebrows, shock sprawled across his face as he stared at Corey, speechless, before nodding, motioning for him to follow the chimera to the truck.

They sat there, waiting for other’s from the pack to drive away in their own cars, saying goodbyes to each other and just after Stiles’ jeep left the parking lot, Corey gathered enough confidence to start what he came here for.  
“I need your advice.”

“Mine?” The other teenager sounded bewildered and Corey couldn’t blame him, their friendship really wasn’t at this type of level, yet, and still, here they were.

“You’re the only one who could actually tell me something about it.”

“So it’s a chimera thing.” Corey nodded and Theo went silent, creating a space for him to speak. It was harder than it should be, he couldn’t imagine how hard it will be when he tells everybody else, when tells _Mason_.

“I-um, I think it started after the Ghost Riders but I can’t be sure because maybe I just didn’t see it before or ignored it but it _was_ after the Ghost Riders when I started to see it,” he said finally, breathing out an anxious exhale of oxygen. The other chimera didn’t say anything, just kept its gaze on the parking lot ahead of them, apparently not wanting to interrupt any of Corey’s thoughts.  
“You know how people say that everyone has their own aura? Every person has their own colour?” Theo nodded. “Well, that’s what I see when I’m invisible. It’s like with the Ghost Riders, it’s invisible for everyone else but not for me.” On the other hand, it was _visible_ that Theo didn’t know how to respond; he only sat there and nodded as Corey spoke. Then, finally, he opened his mouth to say:

“And this all happened after the Wild Hunt?”

“I mean…yeah, it has probably something to do with all the wires I’ve been hooked in, maybe it upgraded my powers or something.” The fact that Theo wasn’t reacting to it at all was frustrating but it was already too late to take things back, the truth has been spilt and there was only a certain amount of ways Theo could take to help or betray him.

“No one else knows about it?” Corey shook his head and the chimera went completely silent, going through his possibilities.  
“Okay…” he exhaled, looking forwards and doing everything _but_ looking at Corey. “I have no idea what that means to be completely honest but if it’s not hurting you…” Theo raised one suspicious eyebrow towards him, finally meeting their gazes for a brief moment.

“No, it’s not.”

“Well…then I don’t see any problem here,” he said calmly, looking ahead again but obviously paying attention to Corey, who for once was torn. He didn’t know what he had expected to come out of this conversation but this was _not_ it. Maybe he hoped that Theo will have some reasonable answer or he won’t and they’ll try to figure out what did it mean and maybe, in the meantime, Corey could pour his heart out and tell him how scared he is to look at the auras of people that he truly cared about but still feeling so tempted. Just one second and he would look away; it was so easy to do that but yet so terrifying.  
“Or is that not it?” And Corey sighed because no, that was not it and if he won’t tell someone right now, he might explode.

“I haven’t seen Mason’s aura yet,” he burst out quickly, cringing at the way Theo turned around, a puzzled look on his face.

“And that is a bad thing?” How could it not be a bad thing? Corey was scared to look at Mason’s aura, what _wasn’t_ wrong with that?

“I don’t know! I just can’t look at his aura, I don’t know why, maybe…maybe I’m-“

“Scared?” He closed his eyes shut, curling his hands into tight fists as he tried to sort out his thoughts. Yeah, Theo was right and Corey knew it.

“Probably.”

“But why? Haven’t you guys been dating since like…forever? What is there to be scared of?” That was a good question, what was Corey so scared of? Deep inside, he secretly knew the reason _why_ he was scared, deep down he knew what haunted him at night but admitting it would be harder than anything he had ever done. But again, that was the exact motive why he even came to Theo, to begin with.

“I think that a part of me is terrified that Mason is a completely different person than I think he is,” he explained frankly, offering his heart on his sleeve to Theo, waiting for it to be crushed, waiting for the devastating death, however nothing like that happened.

“Did that happen to you with other people? I doubt that Mason would hide who he is from you, that is ridiculous.” Is it though?

“You are the one whose fault it is I’m even considering this option,” he mumbled, hearing Theo’s breath hitch which wasn’t something usual, at all.

“Me?” Theo was shocked, that was for sure but Corey didn’t have the capacity for any more shocks.

“Yes, you. I thought that your aura would be like Monroe’s, black or grey since you know, you kind of manipulated us all and everything but when I saw you, all there was to see was just plain green, which is not a bad colour if you want to know, like at all. According to me, it’s one of the best colours you can have as your aura.” He looked at Theo whose lips were brought tightly together in a thin line as he took everything in. There was a light tap of his index finger on the wheel, his thigh jumping up and down frantically.

“Okay.” Which was fair, Theo didn’t hide his true personality deep inside for it to be revealed like that by Corey, although there wasn’t much to say.

“And so I’m scared that maybe, when I look at Mason, it will be the complete opposite. I expect him to have all these great colours like blue, yellow, purple but maybe, when I look at him, it will be something completely different.”

“Mason isn’t a bad person.”

“Well, I hope he isn’t! But I haven’t expected it from you. I was genuinely surprised to see a positive colour around you.”

“Jeez, thanks.”

“Sorry, it’s just…I haven’t intended it to sound this bad. I don’t want to risk it with Mason, okay? I love him more than anything and I can’t disappoint myself with this awful ability I’ve suddenly gained,” Corey huffed, leaning against the seat harshly, hearing it crack a little.

“Corey, look…I’m not good at this, okay? I don’t know what it’s like in an actual relationship but I can say to you with all honesty that Mason is good and you don’t have to be-“

“Do you know what Derek’s aura looks like?”

“What?”

“It’s green, the same as you. It means soothing, peaceful, loving…”

Theo looked at him with astonishment and Corey didn’t know if it was because it was also Theo’s colour and he didn’t expect it or the fact that it was also Derek’s colour.  
“Well, that is surprising.”

“Exactly, you never know and I don’t think I’m ready to know with Mason.” Corey looked at the chimera, which seemed much more open now and if he concentrated enough, he could see the green blooming from his body with powerful whips.

“Then the answer is easy,” Theo said calmly, the tapping of his finger finally stopping.

“What do you mean?”

“You look when you are ready and if you’ll never be ready, that is okay too, you’ll just never know.”

“But what if he asks me what is his aura and I won’t be able to answer him?”

“He doesn’t need to know, this thing is only between us, I won’t tell anyone.”

“I know,” Corey sighed.

“Here you go, problem solved.” And maybe Theo’s plan was good and could work. Corey has been hiding it from Mason for a long time. And maybe he could do it, for now.

* * *

Fortunately, going invisible wasn’t as necessary as it was during Monroe and her army and so it hasn’t been as hard for Corey to just not talk about his new ability to see other people’s auras. Maybe it was too easy.

Mason liked visiting the library, it was one of his favourite hobbies, walking around and picking out new books he hadn’t had the chance to read yet. Corey following him dumbly like a lost puppy, holding every heavy book his boyfriend gave him to “decide if he’ll read it later” and almost always forgetting and leaving Corey with a tall stack of paper.

It was days like these that Corey nearly gave in to the urge of just _seeing_ others. It was days like these when Mason’s face remained relaxed and his smile so happy it almost gave him a heart attack. Days like these when the love for the other boy was so strong that not kissing him on every corner of the damn library felt like the greatest accomplishment.

“Have you read this one?” Mason asked him, breaking the fog clouding Corey’s mind.

He looked at his boyfriend from above the tower of books in his arms. “Hm?”

“Have you read this book before?” Mason tried again, this time smiling so sweetly it almost sent Corey to the ground as his knees buckled. The book was blue, light blue with an astronaut at the front. _Wonder._

“No.” He shook his head, smiling as Mason gasped in shock, clutching the book securely in his arms like it was his baby.

“What? Oh no, you Bryant don’t know what you’ve been missing out. It’s beautiful!” Mason shouted, maybe a little uncharacteristic of his normal behaviour, especially in the library but Corey didn’t care. “You know what? We’re gonna read it together, this is a must-read, sweetheart,” he said, putting the book on the top one lying in Corey’s embrace. The stack stumbled a little but thankfully he was lucky enough to balance it back to its original position.

Despite the deadly weight on his arms, Corey couldn’t help himself but bloom because of Mason’s enthusiasm and how his eyes sparkled when talking about something he was passionate about. He couldn’t help himself but _wonder_ what his boyfriend’s colour was. Was it light blue as the book? It could be. Blue, love, loyalty and intelligence were close friends and Mason was loving, trustworthy and smart enough for the colour. On the other hand, white meant goodness and innocence, also something Mason could relate to. There were so many options but too hard to choose one and Corey started to get tired of the guessing. He just wanted to see and ease the curiosity inside his gut. If it weren’t for the horrible dread right next to it, he would have done it a long time ago.

“Hey, Mase?” he whispered, smiling even more when the other boy turned around gracefully with eyebrows high, almost reaching his hairline.  
“Come here.” Mason chuckled, coming closer to Corey, his head tilting to a side in order to avoid his boyfriend’s load of books and pecked him on the lips briefly.  
“You are cute,” Corey breathed, watching the smug expression on Mason’s face with fascination. One hand curled in his brown hair, nails caressing his scalp when the boy leaned in again, surging for Corey’s lips one more time, lingering there much longer than the first time.

“You too.” The human smiled, looking at the pile of books and taking two of them into his own hands.  
“I’m going to return these two back to their place.” Leaving Corey absolutely speechless, left there in the middle of the library with the happiest feeling in his chest he has ever felt and also with countless questions and speculations.

The fact that a deep worry haunted Corey on every step, was something his boyfriend didn’t have to know, at least till the time he felt confident enough to share.

* * *

The time hadn’t come in the near future. It wasn’t about him not feeling safe in their relationship because Mason always made sure that he had felt loved and appreciated. It was Corey’s problem and Corey’s problem alone, he was doomed to be chained by his insecurities to a large wall of fears.

Corey was tired of being controlled by his fears.

They had a date, big fancy date in a restaurant to celebrate the end of their high school lives, talking about their future and how they were finally going to get a place where they can live together, maybe even with Liam and his…whoever was his current partner (Corey was a little bit lost in this department to be completely honest). The night was supposed to go smoothly, holding hands, smiles and delicious food, faithful visions and maybe even something more and during all of this, Corey has decided, he’s going to tell Mason about his now not so new ability because the longer he hid it, the worse the terrible feeling in his gut hurt and he wanted to do it now when there were no threats around and Mason could have enough time process it without anyone trying to kill him during that. It felt like a perfect time to open up

“My grandma was so excited when I told her we’re going to visit her in the summer. She really looks forward to meeting you,” Mason said, his eyes sparkling under the _yellow_ lights of the restaurant, taking his breath away, like he always did.

Corey tried to smile through the nervousness he felt creeping up from the tips of his toes to the base of his neck, shivers crawling up his back like poisonous ivy and suddenly, the urge to become invisible right there at that moment, was hard to ignore.

Apparently, his internal grappling wasn’t as concealed as he had thought. Mason’s eyebrow shut up dangerously high, his hand withdrawing from the table where it was holding Corey’s one in a loving grip and the chimera immediately missed the warm feeling against his skin but also felt guilty about not hiding his inner battles well enough.

“I really look forward to meeting her too.” It was a pathetic try for covering the true issue that obviously reeked from him and Mason wasn’t buying it at all. Of course, he wasn’t, the human was too smart for that.

“We don’t _have_ to visit her if you don’t want to.” Corey cringed at the harsh tone of Mason’s voice; this wasn’t how he imagined their date to go at all, even if it was just a slight bump in the road.

“No! I really want to meet your grandma! I know how much she means to you and I really appreciate that you trust me with not messing it up,” he answered honestly, relaxing as the face his boyfriend was doing softened with something that looked too close to sympathy.

“Well, of course I trust you with this. You are my boyfriend and I love you. Is this what you’ve been worrying about? Is that why you’ve acted so weird these last few weeks?” Corey only could hope his life was so simple that he would be worrying about meeting Mason’s grandparents; he wished he acted weird because he was nervous about messing up their relationship with a bad encounter with Mason’s relatives.

He wished he wasn’t scared of seeing Mason’s aura, his true self.

“I love you, Corey. You know that, right?” Yes, Corey knew that, he could feel it, his heart so full it threatened to burst out and he loved Mason back, so much in fact, that it physically hurt him to hide this away from him.

“I love you too; it’s just been stressful these last couple of weeks. I’m sorry for acting a little off,” he said, watching Mason’s mouth turn into a slight smile, genuine and kind. The human put his hand back to the table, inches from Corey’s one, and finger after finger, their hands intertwined.

“You know you can tell me everything, right?” Mason asked, fingertips ghosting over the chimera’s palm, tapping a simple quiet melody.

Corey sighed, defeated, because his plans changed in just a matter of seconds and it was clear now, that he wasn’t ready to tell Mason yet, even if it pained him inside. “Yeah, I know, I’m sorry.”

His boyfriend lifted their hands, bringing it to his mouth and kissing each of Corey’s knuckles with such patience that it almost seemed like everyone around them disappeared, like they were in their own little world with just the two of them. “Don’t apologize; take as much time as you need, I’m going to be there when you’re ready.”

Corey didn’t have to tell him anything and still, Mason knew exactly what to say, what were the right words to assure him that everything was going to be fine eventually. The pain in his gut only intensified when he saw the hopeful expression on the human’s face.

Mason was good and deep down Corey knew that. Deep down he knew that he wasn’t scared of Mason turning out to be something completely different. Deep down he knew that Mason was too good for him and that looking at his aura to really see it, to acknowledge the fact that Corey didn’t deserve him, was going to be the final straw to his already damaged feelings.

Maybe Corey wasn’t bad but he wasn’t good _enough_ , definitely not good enough for Mason Hewitt.

* * *

Liam cornered him in the school corridor on one of their last days of their senior year. It was no secret that the Beta was over-protective of his best friend, making Corey’s life a living hell every time he messed up something. The messing up kept happening and it was a miracle that the chimera even lived by that point.

“What the hell have you done to Mason?” he growled and Corey could almost swear that his eyes sparkled with yellow circles around his pupils.

“Nothing!” It was a lie and Liam knew it, which made even less sense when the werewolf kept quiet, only gripping Corey by his shoulders.

“Theo told me, you know,” he said finally, the hold on the chimera’s shoulders loosening immediately but it made no difference because all of the air in Corey’s lungs got knocked out of him. There was only one thing Theo could tell Liam.

“He didn’t, I don’t believe you.”

The werewolf snorted, now, from some unexplainable reason, smiling and shaking his head. “It wasn’t easy, I had to…make some precautions but I’m not here to kick your ass, even though I really want to.” Corey raised his eyebrows at that, not completely being sure if he believed that statement.

They stared at each other for a while, making everything really weird and awkward, until Liam started talking again. “I think that you’re stupid. If anyone is supposed to help you with this, it’s Mason, I know my best friend. If you just told him, maybe you could discuss it together and then, maybe you won’t be that scared anymore.” He shrugged, surprising Corey by how calm he was and yes, he was right. Of course, he was. Mason could and _would_ help to make Corey believe that he is enough, that they are good for each other…but what if he didn’t? What if Mason finds out that their auras don’t match at all and realizes it himself? That Corey isn’t good for him? What if Mason already knew it? What if their relationship was already falling apart and Corey was just too blind to notice?

“Yeah, I…I’ll do it,” he said, at last, his voice too weak for it to be convincing enough and _of course_ Liam knew it. He did a face, unimpressed and haughty like he wanted to tell Corey that he was being stupid and reached out to him, squeezing his shoulder one more time.

“Just talk to him, dude.” The chimera laughed breathlessly because the sight of Liam giving him relationship advice was a sight he has never believed he would see and it didn’t fail to ease some of the tension in his stomach.

“When did you become a relationship expert?” he asked, smiling at the other boy, feeling a little better.

“You would be surprised what people really are on the inside.”

Corey laughed, “Oh, believe me; you don’t have to tell me.”

He thought about that conversation long after it ended, playing with the sentences and words, trying to figure out what exactly to do to make things better and not ruin his boyfriend status while doing that.

Mason was good and he would fight everyone for Corey’s honour…but did Corey deserve someone good?

He didn’t know and maybe he would never find out but one thing was certain. The truth _is_ going to come out eventually; the real _question_ is if it’s going to be soon _enough._

* * *

August Pullman was similar to a lot of people, even though his issues were different from the majority of them; it didn’t stop the relieved feeling of realization that everyone is really not the same. Mason’s voice reading Auggie’s thoughts out loud, slow and appreciative like he would destroy the book with a single misread, made him think about that even more.

Corey loved that about his boyfriend, how he acknowledged that everything has its own soul, how careful he acted towards things and people he cared about. Mason didn’t need a _superpower_ that would show him how people really looked like on the inside, it was Mason’s ability, seeing what’s best in people and cherishing every bit of the greatness.

“What do you think so far?” he asked Corey, turning his head in the chimera’s embrace so they could face each other. There was this expression on his face, hesitating and unsure like always when he was scared about someone else’s opinion, especially if that something had a place in his heart. Mason should have already known that there couldn’t be anything that could disgust Corey.

“I think it’s beautiful,” he answered because it was the truth. August Pullman and his story felt relatable, his family and friends caring about him too similar to what Corey had had, no matter what the contrast was, it all had the same pattern.

And maybe that’s why Mason picked this book, maybe that’s why he had been so nervous all the time, maybe that’s why his body had been plastered to Corey’s all this time, letting him know that he was there, silently telling him that if he had any troubles, he was there for the chimera, exactly like Olivia had her Justin.

It broke Corey’s heart that he was still too scared to say anything, his head throbbing with the need to just lay everything on the table, tell Mason something only one, _two_ now, people knew. He knew he made a mistake by not telling Mason. He knew that hiding everything inside did no good to neither of them but it was like the black. Suffocating him under the weight of his _differences_ and the reality that he would do anything to be normal, anything to give up a “gift” he didn’t want.

So he kissed Mason because kissing him took all the world away, it pushed all the darkness aside and only let the sweet scent of strawberries in, the happy smiles and good memories. Tying it all together was something Corey wasn’t ready for and giving himself some more time to enjoy the somewhat normalcy Mason gave him every time they spend time together, seemed like an acceptable idea.

Or maybe he just made everything worse, maybe Mason would make him feel normal, even after all the secrets would come up to the surface, maybe he was making a huge mistake.

But how could he look into Mason’s breathtaking eyes and tell him about…

“Can we switch in reading for this chapter?”

Or maybe he could hide some more. That’s what he was good at, _hiding._

* * *

The first time it finally happens it isn’t planned. Corey would never do that, at least not right now in this messed-up mindset. Another Kanima hits the town and this time, it’s not Gerard who is in control but it is Monroe who has decided that using supernatural creatures for her benefit was a good thing now and so when she struck again; it surprised the whole pack.

Scott left the town a long time ago as well as Lydia, Malia and Stiles which left only Corey, Mason, Liam, Theo and the new kid Alec with a little bit of help from Nolan to deal with her…which, to be honest, didn’t sound one bit like a pleasant fight. They were alone, Chris Argent travelling somewhere with Derek to gain some more allies for future obstacles and in short – they were screwed.

The plan seemed easy, Corey would spy on the Kanima and try to follow it till the point it settles somewhere, they will find out who the Kanima is and then they can figure out what to do next.

It is even easier when he sees the aura of the creature, immediately recognizing the specific dark blue colour of one of the girls from his history class and feeling once again grateful for his ability, finally not perceiving it as a burden.

And so when they finally face Monroe in one of the warehouses just a mile outside Beacon Hills, they already have a plan for how to bring the girl back. But of course, it wouldn’t go without any difficulties and Tamora Monroe being her old ugly self, showed up with a small army of her own, guns clutched in every hand, shooting at the pack mercilessly.

What Corey didn’t expect, was Mason surging towards the battle, trying to be useful even though he was just a human and for the record, the human did great, taking Stiles’ bat that the owner gave him, knocking a few hunters down and Corey felt pride bottle up in him because Mason has always been so scared but now, now he was there with them, helping with everything he could and it was brave and yes, sexy as hell but he couldn’t think about that at the moment.

Fortunately, for the most part, no one from the pack has been shot, maybe some scratches and bruises but they were fearless, fighting like one, being a good team but as it always is, it didn’t last long. Mason struggled with one man, two heads taller than him and it was clear that his boyfriend had no chance of winning, which is why Corey knew he had to do something. Quickly knocking one hunter down, he ran to his boyfriend and gripped him firmly around the forearms, relaxing his body as it disappeared in front of everyone’s eyes, taking Mason with him. He could feel the ragged breaths, exhausted puffs of air as Mason tried to gain some energy back. Corey tried to get him as far away as he could. He turned around, eyes still firmly fixed on the battlefield behind them.

“Are you okay?” And before he could stop it, he was looking at his boyfriend, squinting as the gleaming colour blinded his sight and even looking to the side was too painful, pink surrounding a good five-metre circle around them.

The strange and completely inexplicable thing about seeing Mason’s aura for the first time was that it felt and looked different than any aura he has ever seen. Just seconds after the human’s colour almost _exploded_ around them, it shrunk back and just flashed around his body like it was totally nothing.

Pink, more of a violet. Deep dark pink, looking maybe too similar to a purple, curling around like soft waves of sea, moving, dancing energetically like the one single colour had its own life. It was almost too _loud;_ Corey could hear the powerful wind blows that were reaching for everything around it. He blinked a couple of times, too shocked to look anywhere else. Mason’s colour was complex, too hard to pick out, too many layers, lines twisted in each other and yet so beautiful, breath-taking, strong and reassuring. Corey couldn’t say what the colour has meant immediately, his every research being absolutely useless in this situation when he just watched the moving art before him, not being able to recognize the exact colour but deep down knowing that Mason was good, too good for everyone, not only Corey.

Mason watched him curiously, obviously being aware of Corey’s weird silence. There was this look on his face that he had every time he tried to understand something but how could he possibly know what startled the chimera so much? How could he know?

“Corey?” he asked, confused and small but also relieved that they were far away from the battle. Corey had to come back soon, the pack needed him but it was so hard tearing his gaze away from the human, so hard not to take all of the colours in, so hard trying not to remember the picture in his head.

And then, Mason reached for him, eyes sparkling with pure unconditional love as his hand touched Corey's cold cheek, thumb rubbing over his cheekbone.  
“What is it?” he asked again, like there were no hunters just a few metres from them, like there was no Kanima attacking their friends, no guns, no Monroe, no one else. Just the two of them.

And Corey could see it, so bland and faint at first, the same thing he could see with Theo’s and his own aura, the way their circles fit together, colourful tentacles tangling in one big shape. But with Mason, it was much more visible, glamorous and blindingly dazzling. Hypnotising for Corey’s brain because it was beautiful, it radiated with love and content, a sign that they were meant to be and it hit him all at once.

The reality that they were meant for each other, that he could see it with his own eyes, that Mason _wasn’t_ too good for him nor Corey was too good for Mason. The fact that he had to go back to Liam soon and help him. The sudden hit that every one of his fears was senseless.

Finally, he looked away, turning around to see how the fight has been developing, looking back at Mason, ignoring the sudden wave of affection and something endless. “I have to go back, be careful.” And then he kissed him because he could and because it wasn’t every day that you found out your boyfriend was actually your _soulmate_ and that loving him was the best thing you could have ever done. Mason kissed him back, telling him to take care of himself and Corey retreated, still light-headed and happy, being much stronger than when he came here.

* * *

Using his ability after that became much more pleasing and even amusing as he learned that auras not only show what people truly are but they also show with whom they are compatible. He went around the school invisible many times, merging in with the grey lockers, watching his classmates and their auras cooperate together.

He said to himself that it’s just for research, that he needs to understand it more before telling Mason about it. He said to himself that he’s doing it out of curiosity and simple gratitude for being a chimera, finally being okay with whom he was, not even thinking about how unfair it is that he had to end up like this.

He watched as friends who seemed to be beside each other every minute of their lives, acting as they would never leave the other, just to see that their auras were the complete opposites and that their colours often fought with each other. He watched couples getting together with an undetectable force, knowing that there actually _was_ a reason behind all of it, behind the love and attraction, that it wasn’t just a fairy-tale he was fed with when he was younger.

All of it was true and Corey felt as content as ever.

Analysing what he could do brought him joy and helped him get rid of the ridiculous fear of being rejected by his boyfriend.

They were meant for each other and there was nothing to tell him otherwise.

* * *

On the day of their graduation Corey persuaded Theo to lend him his truck, pleading him and actually having to tell him his whole plan in the process. The other chimera watched him for a while, something new sparkling in his eyes, something too close to _glee_ , and then nodding, smiling at Corey like it was completely normal.

Theo never smiled at anyone and he definitely never lent someone his precious truck.

_Weird._

Mason was confused about why exactly they were in Theo’s truck and driving towards the preserve, shooting the chimera puzzled looks. Corey tried to distract him by talking about useless things but as it was already known; his boyfriend was too smart for that.

“Where are we going?” he asked, looking out of the window only to see houses and trees. There were only a few roads to the preserve so it wasn’t hard to guess where they were heading but Mason wanted to hear it from Corey anyways.

“To the preserve.”

“Yeah, but why?” If Corey didn’t know better, he would say that Mason knew why he arranged a private date for them. But he couldn’t know, could he?

“I’m going to show you something.” The human looked at him, studying his expression closely, reading Corey like an open book and finally relaxing in his seat, leaning back and smiling.

“Okay.”

It was clear that Mason has been waiting for this moment for quite some time, always giving Corey some small nudges and innocent questions just to reassure him that there was nothing that could break them apart and in some way, it really worked. It worked perfectly, to be honest, Corey had enough time to gather his thoughts, to figure out what he wanted to say and the fact that Mason didn’t push him and more helped than anything, even if he didn’t know what all the fuss was about, made a big difference.

Warm _yellow_ sun rays broke through the _green_ branches of pines, their feet moving on the _brown_ ground, Mason had a _blue_ jacket hugged tightly around his body and there was _white_ peace flowing in the wind.

Corey led him to the middle of the forest, holding his hand, enjoying how their fingers _fitted_ together and they were quiet, holding their breaths for the upcoming revelations.

They stopped on a little meadow, where the trees seemed greener than anywhere else. Corey gave himself some advanced time to breath, taking their surroundings in, closing his eyes and squeezing Mason’s hand a little tighter than was necessary. His boyfriend stayed quiet the whole time, waiting.

“I know I’ve been a bit distant these last few months and I’m sorry.” Corey turned around, still clasping Mason’s hand in his, who just stared at him patiently, nodding, squeezing their twined hands some more.  
“After the Ghost Riders, after you found me in that station…” They both flinched, remembering how horrifying it felt to not know how to make things better, stuck in fear and not knowing if Corey will survive it. Thankfully, it was all behind them now. “…well after that, something has happened and at first, I didn’t know what it was or if I’ve just been imagining things but then I figured out what it meant,” he said.

“What do you mean?” And still, when he said it, there was an undertone that gave off the impression that Mason knew everything. _But how could he know?_

“It didn’t appear right away, just some months after but I just _know_ that it’s because of the Ghost Riders.” Corey was getting tangled in his speech, the confused look on Mason’s face was enough to go by and so he sighed, breathing some more air into his burning lungs and continued: “The _point_ is…that I see colours around people…when I’m invisible and…do you know how people say that everyone has their aura?” Mason nodded, unsure. “That’s what I see; I see colours around people that tell me how everyone looks on the inside.”

For his disappointment, Mason remained quiet and Corey tried to think about something that could trigger the sudden silence. Maybe he should have gone slower or just say something completely different or maybe he saw it wrong back then, maybe they weren’t meant for each other, maybe Mason really was too good for him.

“I know.”

“How could you…”

“I saw it too, in the warehouse when you took me away from the battle and I…and I thought that maybe this was why you’ve been so winded up in your head but…but I wasn’t sure,” he said calmly, thumb caressing Corey’s knuckles, smiling toothily at him.

“I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have kept this from you.” _Black_ guilt invading in between the yellow and _magenta_ pink but Mason smiled even more, the corners of his eyes lifting, a soft look on his face when he took a step closer, their chest almost knocking together.

“Don’t…don’t apologize, if you didn’t want to tell me then it’s my fault and I should have…”

“Mason.” Corey interrupted, knowing that this whole thing was just stupid and blaming anyone was pointless and a waste of time. Maybe he should have realized that sooner. “I’m going to show you something, okay?”

Mason watched him for a while, pensive and hesitant before nodding, their foreheads almost touching in the process. “Will it hurt?” the human chuckled, coming even closer, brushing their noses in an Eskimo kiss.

“A little.” With that, Corey leaned in, connecting their lips in a short peck, feeling as Mason’s eyes faltered close, his eyelashes tickling Corey on the cheeks and before they both could detach from each other, the chimera turned invisible, preparing for the pinkish glow around the other boy’s body, smiling when it appeared in front of him.

Mason gasped, his free hand grasping Corey’s hip for grounding, eyes flicking up and down the chimera’s body. Corey watched him, looking at the lines of yellow and magenta touching fascinatingly, moving around their bodies like one. “Look.” The chimera lifted their connected hands together, putting it in between them, leaving enough space for them to look properly.

“What is it?”

The closer they stood, the more their colours blended in, the more they were shining. “It’s our auras when they are together,” he answered, dragging every syllable out from his mouth carefully, not trusting himself that much not to tangle his tongue.

“It looks…”

“Beautiful?”

_“Endless.”_

Corey swallowed loudly, taking his gaze away from the shine, only to find pure and complete charm in Mason’s face. “That’s what auras do, they seek out their significant other and when they find each other, they connect.”

“Like this?”

“Like this.” He nodded, touching the nape of Mason’s neck to bring him closer, letting their lips _find_ themselves in another sweet kiss. “I was scared we wouldn’t be _like this,_ I worried for the worst but when I saw you that night…I finally got it,” he said, holding Mason as close as he could. “We are meant for each other and I knew it before, even if I had my doubts but I love you and nothing in the whole universe can tell me otherwise. I’m sorry for being stupid and not letting you in, I’m sorry about questioning our relationship but I can promise you, that I’m going to be here, annoy you and make you frustrated till the day I die and even beyond that because you are my soulmate, Mason and I love you so much.”

Mason didn’t even let him continue, kissing all the words out of his mouth, gripping his forearms painfully, not letting go even if they got back to the truck and to Corey’s home. Mason never let go and Corey didn’t push him away, only hung on stronger, more determinedly, blending with the human the same as their auras. Loving him unconditionally and unquestionably.

Yellow and pink. Corey and Mason.

**Author's Note:**

> _The magenta aura takes the physical, powerful, and direct aspects of the red aura and combines them with the intellectual, intuitive, and creative aspects of the blue aura._


End file.
